Whether your business employs just a handful of staff or you’re orchestrating a team of hundreds, eventually, an AI-based learning experience will become your ultimate training content go-to.
But with seemingly millions of SaaS (software as a service) occupying the learning technology space, how do I strategically select software from this ever-growing LXP market?
Exploring our extensive buyer’s guide into social learning and workplace training management systems, aims to provide all the answers, so let’s get reading!
A Buyer’s Guide to Learner Experience Platforms (LXP)
Here’s what we’ll look at below:
- What is a Learner Experience Platform (LXP) used for?
- Preparing for a learning platform purchase
- Must-have LXP features when purchasing a learning platform
- The two primary benefits LXP platforms provide
What Is a Learning Experience Platform (LXP) Used For?
Progressive learning paths ultimately allow companies to design, deliver and monitor their employees’ training journeys – A well-engineered learning experience platform accomplishes all this and more.
But not all learning experience platforms are created equal. It’s important to shop around and compare each key component of what’s available on the LXP market prior to purchase.
Your self-directed corporate learning platforms need to captivate and motivate trainees as genuinely inspired learners have proven to return significantly more impressive output over those using boring standardised training methods.
Let’s first look at what to figure out beforehand, though.
Preparation Steps Before Purchasing a Learning Experience Platform (LXP)
- Brainstorm Everyone’s Needs – It must satisfy the end user trifecta; learners, administrators, and the company. Does it tackle common eLearning pain points? Is its interface engaging and enjoyable? Does it simplify admin deliverability?
- Get the Tech Department On-board – You’ll need the green light from the IT team regarding integration capabilities, plug-n-play functionality, website support, tool recommendations, and a whole range of other difficult-to-understand tech stuff.
- Research. Compare. Ask – It takes around 6-12 months to implement a new learning experience platform across the board, so it pays to be direct and a little confronting with those enquiries. Consider where your company will be in the near future and whether a particular platform appears to facilitate that expansion.
- Demo It – Place yourself in your learners’ position, contemplating the learning platform’s overall user-friendliness, effectiveness, and other dynamics like mobile access and communications features. Consider the admin side of things too. Can your content be conveniently delivered and received?
- Look for a Long-Term Affiliate – The fail rate on short-term social learning solutions suggests sourcing a long-term learning experience platform partnership is more convenient and demonstrates a commitment to satisfy on their end.
Features – What to Consider When Upgrading Your Standard Learning Management System
Having high-quality employee learning content, like what most Learning Management Systems offer, is one thing, but what else should you be on the lookout for when choosing a new LXP?
Course Creation
Ensure your learning experience platform includes a user-friendly editor where posts, lessons, images, hyperlinks, and a tonne of other content can be completely personalised.
Built-in ratings and comments systems, along with social and sharing capabilities, are also super-intuitive and help both trainers and learners benefit.
AI-Based Content Analysis
Try to find a learning experience platform that uses artificial intelligence technology or machine learning to generate microlearning. Many LXP platforms can detect specific user needs, recommending ultra-tailored content for a more efficient learning process.
Artificial intelligence is designed to streamline training recommendation models with more personalized learning experiences.
Progress Tracking & Data Monitoring
Social learning management systems record and store critical data, providing admins with the numbers needed to improve continuous learning, training materials, and overall skills-based learning techniques.
You’ll need LXP platforms that create a learning experience helping you understand usage trends directing future optimisation. A comprehensive analysation structure ensures that carefully curated learning paths can be tweaked even further for improved training results.
Chatbot Communication
Plenty of existing LXP systems and new learning platforms offer 24-hour chatbot support, an incredibly convenient feature in resolution communications. Learners provided with an around-the-clock virtual inventory of answers to common questions experience less training downtime waiting for an admin’s responses.
Gamification & Achievement Recognition
A range of LXP systems helps gamify education, offering a more entertaining and sociable learning method using achievement-based courses. Unlockable features, leaderboards, milestone privileges, scoring systems, and other lightly competitive yet highly measurable ranking systems make for immensely effective workplace learning.
Comprehensive Integration
Connections with other third-party eLearning software offer learners extra learning materials and resources, and an easy way to collaborate with both free and paid platforms. You’ll also be needing cloud storage, CRM, and document management integration as well.
Benefits of a Learning Experience Platform (LXP)
Based on the features mentioned above, you might already have an idea about the value of on-the-job training with LXP software, but here are some of the main benefits.
Fully Customisable Learning
LMS systems have recently become a target for their perceived shortcomings regarding actual utilisable key features and their abilities to provide accurate user-generated content.
LXP platforms allow admins to create content, deduce learning data and work alongside business rules and professional development strategies.
Everyone learns differently, meaning both automated and manually configured options are absolute essentials during comparison and demo stages with a new learning platform.
It’s Flexible, Social Learning at Its Best
Mobile accessibility and personalisation have been kicking traditional learning environments to the curb for years. Gone are the days of arranging physical in-house training sessions, allocating scheduled ‘blocks’ of time in an attempt to complete a designated, mundane curriculum.
Exceptional LXP systems deliver learner-specific instructional needs when and how they need it. Increased flexibility also reduces the pressure on trainees requiring a little extra time and support to comprehend or complete individual tasks.
Simplifying learning paths also plays a major role in consistently maintaining employee engagement, promoting knowledge sharing, and avoiding trainees ‘tuning-out’ due to impatience or outdated, hassle-laden traditional LMS-related features.
Goodbye Learning Management Systems; Hello Learning Experience Platforms
Let’s face it. Tech has taken over.
What’s important now is its acceptance and knowing how to partner with a suitable LXP vendor giving your company an upper hand on the inevitable transformation of industry-specific education.
Many training providers, among other businesses of all scales, are already opting for a learning experience platform (LXP) refit.
With talk of LMS-LXP mergers in the works, it’s likely that popular existing learning management systems will convert their platforms to LXP-style models anyway.
So start your learning management system research journey with our guide at the ready, and good luck with securing that long-term learning strategy. If you are ready to give an all-encompassing learning software a chance, Cloud Assess’ free trial is both easy to use and will give you a taste of what you can achieve.
